Gender-specific medicine in pediatrics.

As pediatricians have always known, boys and girls are different. Many pediatric diseases and syndromes are either more common or more severe in one sex than in the other. Puberty brings about emotional and physical changes that are obviously very different in males and females. In addition, certain "adult" conditions with gender differences, such as osteoporosis and long QT syndrome, may be present or preventable in the early years. Physicians should strive to understand these differences so that they can tailor medicine and other therapies to specifically meet the needs of each gender.